I made my own lipstick to find the one shade I was missing

Not being able to wear or buy makeup when I was a teenager (gotta love strict parents) has really turned me into a makeup hoarder.

I feel like I am making up for all the things I didn't have when I was a teen. My favorite item to buy? Lipsticks! I currently have two makeup bags stuffed with lipsticks, but I'm still not satisfied. For the longest time I've been on the hunt for the perfect nude.

I recently learned that you can customize your own lipstick at New York City's Bite Beauty Lip Lab, so I ran right over and got to mixing.

Bite Beauty Lip Labs are open to the public in Toronto, New York, and San Francisco. Lipstick addicts can choose from two packages:

CUSTOM LIPSTICK: Customize a pigment that's already carried in the Bite Lip Lab by adding the scent and finish of your choosing. Price: $55 for one lipstick or $80 for two.

BESPOKE LIPSTICK: A lab expert mixes pigments until you find your unique shade. You can also add a scent and select from a matte, glossy, or sheer finish. Price: $150 for two lipsticks.

I wanted full control and a hands-on experience, so I opted for the Bespoke package.

photo:
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

First impression: Everyone was super friendly and the lab was full of containers filled with a variety of pigments.

photo:
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Since I had not made an appointment, I waited a short 15 minutes for my turn to create a custom lipstick.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

I waited in a small lab area that had oils, lip pigments, cotton pads, and scent tubes.

Before I even started to customize my lip color, I was offered the sweetest tasting lip scrub.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

Yum!

Next I was given a mask to help my lips endure all the swatching.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

After discussing with the technician on the unique shade, a brown nude, I was looking for she began to mix random pigments.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Folwer

After explaining my dream nude shade to the technician, I started looking at pigments and the mixing began.

She measured out the pigments and went H.A.M. with a small spatula.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

Pro tip: Make sure to test your shade in natural light.

photo:
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

The first few mixes weren't what I was looking for, so we tried a few more times.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

Eight different concoctions later, she nailed it.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

Each swatch had the exact measurements just in case I wanted to go back to any of the previous mixtures and tweak the formula.

We went through the same process for my second shade — a bronzy wildcard — and then it was time to get cooking.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

She measured a fresh batch for each color and put them in two different containers.

photo:
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

The next step was to mix the pigment with the matte balm I had selected.

photo:
Revelist/ Jessica Torres

After a few seconds of mixing, she decanted the pigment into molds.

photo:
Revelist/ Jessica Torres

Five minutes later, the lipsticks were ready!

photo:
Revelist/ Jessica Torres

Seeing her fit the lipsticks in the packaging was so satisfying.

photo:
Revelist/ Jessica Torres

The hardest decision of all: Which style cap should I choose?

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

I couldn't decide so I went for one of each.

The lipsticks need two hours to fully harden.

photo:
Revelist/ Brittany Fowler

It was so hard to wait!

When I opened the bag, I noticed the extra goodies that came along with the lipsticks.

photo:
Revelist/ Carmen Hurtado Esteves

The purchase included a lip scrub, lip mask, and primer.

Finally, it was time to try my bespoke lipsticks. I went for my wildcard first; perfection!

photo:
Revelist/ Carmen Hurtado Esteves

I was so sad that I couldn't actually give them a name since that feature had recently been removed from the Lab offerings.

Now it was turn for my perfect nude.

photo:
Revelist/ Carmen Hurtado Esteves

I think I'll call her, "Cries in Spanish," after my favorite GIF.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I was so excited to have control over a custom lip color. The staff and location were lovely and I would definitely recommend any makeup lover to try it out. The only downside of the lipstick is that the matte finish doesn't feel matte at all. I guess you can't win them all.